Mayor Lutfur Rahman

During December 2025, Mayor Lutfur Rahman was active in two Cabinet meetings. In the meeting on December 17th, he emphasized the council's commitment to continuous improvement, detailing cost of living support measures such as winter fuel payments and the positive reception of the pilot Meals on Wheels program. He also highlighted the Drug Squad's work in combating supply chains and supporting rehabilitation, and reiterated the Housing Strategy's focus on addressing overcrowding through an accelerated housing program and family-sized homes. Rahman agreed to the online publication and submission of the Corporate Peer Challenge report and requested more detailed analysis of the Annual Resident Survey results concerning front-line services.

In the Cabinet meeting on January 8th, 2026 (which began with his opening remarks for the New Year), Rahman presented a comprehensive budget report and medium-term financial strategy. He expressed optimism for a balanced, sustainable, and transformative financial strategy that prioritizes residents and front-line services, contrasting it with previous administrations' cuts. Key announcements included an increase in the general fund reserve to £25 million and significant investments in education, youth and leisure services, winter fuel payments, waste services, and home care. He also outlined plans for reinvestment in CCTV, enforcement officers, a women's centre, drug rehabilitation facilities, one-stop shops, market parking, and affordable housing, noting the MTFS would deliver £77 million in savings. Rahman thanked officers and members for their work on the budget and requested approval of the recommendations. He also requested the development of a communications strategy for tree planting.

During November 2025, Lutfur Rahman was actively involved in multiple council meetings, demonstrating a strong focus on housing, the well-being of residents, and the future of the borough. As Mayor and Chair of the Housing Management (Cabinet) Sub-Committee, he voiced significant opposition to government and Mayor of London housing proposals, particularly the reduction of affordable housing to 20% and the removal of SIL. He emphasized the need to reduce overcrowding and stated,

So as matters stand now, Cherry, just for the record, people are viewing this. We, I do not, and we do not as an administration, support what the government and what the Mayor of London have put out so far in reducing housing affordable element to 20%. I don't think that's the right approach.

Rahman also acknowledged the critical need for policies addressing damp and mould, lamenting,

It's sad that it needed death of a child, I'm sorry if I put it so crudely, for a law to come into being on damp and mould. It's so sad. But it's such overdue rules, law, legislation, given the condition that our residents live in.

Throughout the month, he chaired discussions, approved various housing policies and reports, and agreed to actions to improve performance. He presented his report to the Council and provided an overview of the council's progress and achievements to the Overview & Scrutiny Committee, highlighting governance, workforce, financial resilience, and service delivery. Key achievements mentioned included improved governance, a new member pledge, increased staff diversity, an outstanding Ofsted rating for children's services, and significant investment in affordable housing, with a target of approximately 9,000 homes over the next five to six years. He also reaffirmed his commitment to AI and new technology, while emphasizing workforce stability and youth access to technology.

Rahman expressed a strong desire to reduce overcrowding by delivering more three and four-bedroom affordable homes and identified the Meals on Wheels service as a touching achievement. He assured the committee that the quality of care for elders and vulnerable individuals is paramount.

In his role as Mayor and Chair of the Transformation and Assurance Board, he led the Welcome and Introductions. During a Cabinet meeting, he welcomed attendees, approved minutes, and thanked staff for their work on the corporate peer challenge. He highlighted the re-introduced meals and wills program, expressing pride in its impact on protecting the elderly and infirm, and announced its upcoming full rollout. Rahman also reported on the local plan's passage, its provisions for housing, and the Mayor's accelerated housing program aiming to deliver over 3,000 affordable homes. He expressed pleasure in representing the Truman's Brewery hearing and confidence in the regeneration of Spititifun's Bangla town.

He thanked young people, the Deputy Mayor, and youth councillors for their presentations, stating,

They are the future of the borough.

Rahman reiterated his commitment to young people, promising significant investment in youth provisions if elected, and thanked officers for securing necessary funds, even from reserves, stating,

Reserves are for helping and supporting the people of the borough.

He declared that there would be no compromises when it comes to young people, elders, and women. He also mentioned his prior approval of minutes from an earlier Cabinet meeting and his request for a reconsideration of the Bethnal Green Police station counter closure, which was subsequently halted. He congratulated officers on drafting the 'Draft New Local Plan' and thanked Councillor Abul Wahid for his update.

During October 2025, Lutfur Rahman's activities were primarily related to his attendance at council and cabinet meetings. His report was not considered at the Council meeting on October 8th due to time constraints. He attended the Cabinet meeting on October 15th in his capacity as Mayor, where he held executive powers and made decisions, though no specific statements or actions are recorded. He also attended and chaired the King George's Field Charity Board meeting on October 29th, where he moved recommendations for agenda items 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3.

During September 2025, Lutfur Rahman, as Mayor, was active in two council meetings. In the Cabinet meeting on September 17th, he opened by expressing concern about far-right activities and announced the council's dedication to celebrating East London's diversity with free events, including a Town Hall Open Day and the Brick Lane Curry Festival. He also sought agreement on several policy recommendations, thanked various boards and teams for their work, and emphasized the council's commitment to community investment over service cuts.

In the Housing Management (Cabinet) Sub-Committee meeting on September 24th, Rahman chaired the session and focused on detailed inquiries regarding housing management. He specifically questioned lift safety issues at Eagle Court and Angela Court, seeking information on repairs, design flaws, and resident compensation. He also delved into housing policies, asking about the Landlord Health and Safety Compliance Policies, Housing Complaints Compensation Policy (including compensation limits and flood damage handling), and the Rent Collection Policy (focusing on eviction avoidance and rent arrears support). Further inquiries were made about financial relationships with safeguarding organizations, debt relief orders, and the Big Doorknock initiative for repairs. Rahman critically examined repair performance data, questioning data collection methods and verification processes.

During July 2025, Mayor Lutfur Rahman was active in multiple council meetings, demonstrating leadership and addressing key policy areas. As Chair of the Transformation and Assurance Board, he opened the July 14th meeting and welcomed attendees. At the Cabinet meeting on July 23rd, Mayor Rahman clarified the council's position on asylum seeker placement in the Britannia Hotel, stating it was a central government decision and condemning far-right exploitation, noting he had written to the Home Secretary on the matter. He also presented the Mayor's Accelerated Housing Programme, outlining plans for approximately 3,300 affordable homes on council-owned sites, in addition to over 4,000 already planned, emphasizing family-sized housing. Rahman discussed the new local plan anticipating 59,000 new homes over 15 years and announced the council's intention to divest funds from companies involved in genocide in Gaza, urging the UK government to cease arms trade with Israel and demand a ceasefire. He acknowledged improvements in council performance while highlighting areas needing attention, such as the timeliness of education and health assessments for vulnerable children and council tax collection rates. He defended services like free school meals and home care as essential support, not freebies.

In his role as Mayor and Chair of the Housing Management (Cabinet) Sub-Committee on July 30th, Rahman facilitated discussions and guided the committee through agenda items including regulatory social housing inspections and the Your Voice Our Action initiative. He emphasized the council's full acceptance of inspection findings and a strong commitment to addressing identified issues, stating,

The Council fully accepts the findings of the inspection and the Mayor and Lead Member, who were interviewed as part of the process are committed to addressing the issues identified within the inspection which the council faced upon insourcing.

Reflecting on previous activities, Mayor Rahman had thanked officers for reports on the Mansards Roof Extension & Character Appraisal and the conversion of Virginia Community Primary School to Academy Status on June 18th. He approved the 2025/26 corporate performance measures and targets. Regarding Domiciliary Care Services, he requested clarification on supplier inclusion for interim arrangements and stipulated that contingency development reports should be presented to the cabinet. He and the Cabinet agreed to Option 2 for these services and he raised concerns about vandalism in Watney Market car park, requesting an immediate report.

During June 2025, Lutfur Rahman was actively involved in several council meetings. As Mayor, he chaired the Housing Management Cabinet Subcommittee meeting on June 4th, where he emphasized the need to expedite the policy framework review, particularly the knock-through policy, to address overcrowding. He expressed strong dissatisfaction with the turnaround time for void properties, calling the explanations for delays unacceptable and requesting strategies for void reduction and benchmarking. Rahman also sought a detailed report on rent arrears and collection methods to improve cash flow and highlighted the importance of timely repairs for residents. He approved the Sub-Committee's terms of reference and the recruitment policy for independent advisors, and endorsed the Your Voice, Our Action programme and updated Policy Framework.

On June 18th, at the Cabinet meeting, Rahman welcomed reports on Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services, the Out of Hours Noise Service, the Markets Challenge Action Plan, and the introduction of a dog control public spaces protection order, thanking residents for their input on the latter. He also thanked officers for reports on school amalgamations and the Substance Misuse Service Redesign. Rahman requested consultation on draft tender documents for the Substance Misuse Service Redesign and the Agency worker contract. He was delegated authority to finalize the dog control PSPOs and attended a Council's Leadership conference on continuous improvement.

Additionally, on June 4th, Rahman was present at the King George's Field Charity Board meeting, where he served as Chair and moved a resolution to exclude the press and public from the remainder of the meeting.

During May 2025, Lutfur Rahman was active in two council meetings. As Chair of the Transformation and Assurance Board on May 12th, he opened the meeting and welcomed attendees. At the Annual Council Meeting on May 14th, he served as the Executive Mayor, opening the proceedings, welcoming attendees, and outlining the meeting's agenda, which included electing a new speaker and appointing committee members. He emphasized the importance of decorum and reminded the public of the rules of conduct, stating, > In particular, I would like to remind all members of the public that you must not shout out or otherwise disrupt the meeting. If anyone does interrupt the meeting, I will ask for them to be removed from the meeting. Rahman also acknowledged a GLA member, introduced agenda item seven regarding the mayor's cabinet and executive appointments, and moved the recommendation. He indicated flexibility in leading proceedings, saying, > I'm happy for Mayim to lead the show today. Finally, he presented his report to the Council and offered concluding remarks.

During April 2025, Lutfur Rahman was actively involved in several council meetings. As Mayor, he chaired the Cabinet meeting on April 30th, opening the session, reviewing minutes, and discussing various agenda items. Key decisions and discussions he led included recommendations for Children, Adolescent Mental Health Services, statutory outdoor hours noise service insourcing, and the introduction of a dog control public spaces protection order, where he stated,

I have no issues with dogs, but I do have issues with dangerous dogs. It's about live and let live.

He also addressed reports on market designation, the amalgamation of schools, and the redesign of the substance misuse treatment and recovery system, expressing strong support for accommodation and related work. Furthermore, he oversaw discussions on an agency worker contract, noting,

this gives an opportunity for us an opportunity for us to explore our options going forward, and whether – and in-house move forward.

He also congratulated departments on meeting targets related to agency costs and work on the MTFS. Earlier in the month, as Chair of the Transformation and Assurance Board on April 14th, he opened the meeting and emphasized the importance of resource allocation and political conduct for successful delivery. He was also present at a Grants Determination (Cabinet) Sub-Committee meeting on April 9th, where a mayoral priority for enhanced police presence was noted, and the renewal of an agreement with the Metropolitan Police was authorized in consultation with him. His activities in April build upon his previous involvement in budget proposals and council meetings in February and January.

During the March 26, 2025, Cabinet meeting, Mayor Lutfur Rahman chaired the proceedings, approving several key reports including the Tower Hamlets Council Strategic Plan: 2025/26 Annual Delivery Plan, the Strategic Delivery and Performance Report Year 3 Quarter 3, and the Budget Monitoring 24/25 Quarter 3 report. He also oversaw the approval of recommendations for the 0-5 Public Health Nursing Services procurement, proposing a clarification to ensure the final decision remained with the Cabinet. Mayor Rahman expressed satisfaction with progress on waste management initiatives, noting improvements in the Mayor's Waste Improvement Programme and the Reduction and Recycling Plan, while acknowledging persistent issues like fly-tipping. He highlighted strong performance in school results for Key Stages 2 and 4 and SEND provision in the Annual Report on School Performance for 2023-2024, while identifying areas for development in early years and A-levels. The Mayor endorsed the position statement following the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report and agreed to bring estates parking enforcement services in-house. He also approved the Record of Corporate Director’s Actions Quarter 3 (2024-2025) report, thanked John Harrison upon his departure, and signed the minutes from the February 19, 2025, Cabinet meeting.

During February 2025, Mayor Lutfur Rahman was actively involved in several council meetings. He chaired the Housing Management (Cabinet) Sub-Committee, emphasizing the importance of the tenant's voice and fostering partnership. In the Cabinet meeting, he presided over discussions on waste services, procurement, and contracts, notably stipulating a 10% in as a stipulation for social value and approving various purchases and extensions. He also moved the executive's budget proposals for the Council's Budget and Council Tax 2025-26, describing it as a groundbreaking budget and one of the strongest budget that this administration has presented. He highlighted investments in frontline services, universal school uniform grants, and free home care, and addressed concerns about Food Hub funding, confirming its restoration and requesting a review. Rahman also proposed an increase in council tax, framing it as unprecedented investment in our communities.

During January 2025, Mayor Lutfur Rahman was active in two council meetings, focusing on financial strategy, community investment, and service delivery. He presented the updated Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS), describing it as a fully costed, balanced, and sustainable budget that prioritized ambitious community investment, exceeding savings targets, and increasing the general fund reserve to £25 million. Key initiatives announced included significant investments in youth services (£14 million per year), free school meals for all primary and secondary children, and the continuation of free swimming and winter fuel payments. Rahman also committed to a three-year council tax freeze for individuals earning £50,350 or less and introduced free home care for all residents (£4.9 million per year). Further investments were planned for street safety, reopening a women's center and a drugs rehabilitation facility, and reintroducing one-hour free parking for market customers. He also highlighted investments in affordable housing and council homes, as well as community infrastructure. Rahman defended the administration's stance on a £62 million overpayment of a social care contract from a previous administration, citing an audit committee report. He also expressed pride in the council's outstanding Ofsted result for children's services and thanked staff for their efforts. Additionally, he announced a proposed motion to divest local pension funds from unethical investments and committed to an audit for transparency. Rahman also provided updates on various reports, welcoming achievements while encouraging solutions for underperforming areas, and emphasized the importance of collaboration and engaging children in recycling efforts.

During December 2024, Mayor Lutfur Rahman was actively involved in council initiatives. He announced participation in White Ribbon Day and Islamophobia Awareness Month, alongside the launch of several new services and campaigns, including the Tower Hamlets Winter Fuel Payment, Credit Where Credit Is Due, and Warm Hubs. Rahman also highlighted progress on reintroducing the Meals on Wheels scheme, opening new youth centres, reducing carbon emissions, and developing a grass cricket pitch. He reviewed and endorsed various reports and action plans related to youth services, housing, homelessness, drug combating, child healthy weight, and sports provision for people with disabilities. He also welcomed plans for school place expansion, requesting a communications strategy. Rahman deferred a decision on a neighbourhood forum redesignation application pending community representation concerns, authorizing a Corporate Director to make the final decision after consultation. He approved the continuation of Business Rates Pooling and the urgency of leisure capital investment proposals, specifically requesting the inclusion of sauna and steam facilities for certain leisure centres and a communications campaign for the Be Well proposals to address resident disruption.

During November 2024, Mayor Lutfur Rahman was active in two council meetings. On November 20th, he presented his report to the Council and delivered concluding remarks. At the Cabinet meeting on November 27th, he opened the session, handled procedural matters, and addressed questions. A key focus of his remarks was the critical importance of investing in young people, stating,

Absolutely there should be no price when it comes to young people. Young people need the best infrastructure and the foundation in life to help them and support them to be successful adults.

He emphasized the need for strong educational and vocational programs, school collaboration, performance monitoring, effective outreach, and a diverse workforce. He also inquired about the youth service staffing timeline and requested a paper on skilling-up youth workers. Additionally, he discussed the council's housing management, noting his decision to self-refer the function to the Regulator and welcoming a new housing cabinet subcommittee.

During October 2024, Mayor Lutfur Rahman was active in council and cabinet meetings, focusing on resident support and council improvements. He announced a £175 winter energy payment for nearly 5,000 eligible pensioners, a significant investment to mitigate the impact of the scrapped winter fuel allowance. Rahman also confirmed the continuation of the warm hub and warm packs program and is exploring a Mayor's Winter Emergency Fund. He reiterated the council's commitment to homelessness support, assuring that No resident in this borough will be sent further than 90 minutes away from Tower Hamlets. Rahman highlighted positive outcomes from the residents survey, while acknowledging areas for improvement, and expressed disappointment with red measures in the performance report. He strongly critiqued the opposition, detailing inherited mess in various council services. Additionally, he addressed the situation in Gaza, calling for a ceasefire. As Chair of the King George's Field Charity Board, though a meeting on October 30th was rescheduled, his prior actions from May were noted, including approving minutes, terms of reference, and updates on audited accounts, financial position, and grant funding. He also moved recommendations for the Review of Fees and Charges 2024/25, leading to approved hire charge increases, and updates on leases for Commercial and Retail Assets.

During September 2024, Lutfur Rahman chaired the Cabinet meeting on September 11th, where he announced the suspension of proposed changes to the Homelessness Placement Policy for further review due to service pressures and new data. He launched the Free Swimming Programme for specific age and gender groups, highlighting its investment and positive uptake, and reaffirmed his belief in bringing leisure services in-house. Rahman discussed the Whitechapel Road improvement program, emphasizing the market's significance and the need for modernization. He presented the Tower Hamlets Local Plan 2038 as a new, holistic and revolutionary approach to planning and placemaking, built on foundations putting regeneration and residents first. He also welcomed various reports, including those on the Serious Violence and Exploitation Strategy, Budget monitoring, Spitalfields & Banglatown masterplan, Council Housing Acquisitions Programme, and Fire Safety & Capital Investment Works. Rahman requested the rectification of the Housing and Benefits IT System contract to include a 10% social value weighting and instructed performance reviews for integrated sexual and reproductive health services. He delegated responsibility for the academy conversion process and agreed to the urgency of several procurement and capital investment contracts, requesting communication campaigns for some. He also stressed the importance of excellent care in domiciliary services and asked for provider performance monitoring. On September 18th, Rahman was present at the Grants Determination (Cabinet) Sub-Committee meeting, which was adjourned due to a lack of quorum, with no specific actions or statements recorded for him during this session.

During June 2024, Lutfur Rahman was active in two council meetings. On June 26th, he chaired the Grants Determination (Cabinet) Sub-Committee meeting. In this capacity, he opened the meeting, managed the agenda, and sought clarification on specific financial and monitoring aspects of grant recommendations, particularly for the London Dock Secondary School ICT item, asking:

Just a clarification. I think you've got it in a note in the recommendation. So it's paid in phases. Is it paid in advance or in arrears?

He also inquired about the oversight of awarded funds:

Thank you. I just wanted to know what monitoring and evaluation are in place? How are we going to monitor it? I just wanted to know.

Later the same day, Rahman was appointed as the Chair of the Appointments Sub-Committee for the recruitment of the Corporate Director, Housing and Regeneration, and also served as a member of this committee.

During May 2024, Mayor Lutfur Rahman was active in four council and cabinet meetings. He delivered a comprehensive report on his administration's achievements over the past two years, highlighting initiatives such as reintroducing educational allowances, providing free school meals, revitalizing youth services, reopening resident hubs, and making progress on affordable housing. He also emphasized strengthening the council's governance and finances, noting the significant financial instability inherited upon his return to office.

Rahman faced criticism regarding Best Value Inspections and calls for fundamental changes, with resolutions passed urging him to reduce advisors and consultants, ensure transparency in decision-making, and for the Chief Executive to oversee an open process for the Women's Commission appointments. He responded to this criticism by stating,

And it's a shame. It's a shame that councilors opposite do not see the transformation we have made in the last two years. It's a shame. That's why they remain as a minority opposition here, not within the administration. Because this is what we have transformed of our and our residents are appreciating what we have done so far.

In his role as Executive Mayor, Rahman presented reports on cabinet and executive appointments and chaired the Cabinet meeting. He called for a minute's silence for the nail bomb attacks anniversary and expressed gratitude to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. He welcomed the new Community Engagement Strategy and the Women's Safety Action Plan, requesting amendments to the latter. He also indicated approval for contract extensions for supported housing and health and wellbeing services, while stressing his preference for open procurement and inclusivity for smaller providers.

Rahman agreed with the urgency for reports on transforming to Hamlet's Council building a strong future and the Median Term Financial Strategy, reiterating his commitment to reducing reliance on consultancy staff. He stated,

The past year has seen the Council undergo significant transformation, with improved culture, a more joint approach to decision-making, a transformative budget focused on quality delivery for residents, and strengthened governance arrangements.

He also reiterated his desire to push and squeeze the council's reliance on consultancy staff, stating that the fees and number of consultants ballooned under the previous administration. He further emphasized the intention to squeeze more out of contracts while ensuring performance remains high.

Additionally, Mayor Rahman chaired the King George's Field Charity Board meeting and signed the minutes of the previous meeting.

In April 2024, Mayor Lutfur Rahman chaired the Cabinet meeting on April 24th. He began by commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Brick Lane bombings, condemning it as a devastating racist attack and affirming the borough's stance against hatred. He emphasized the critical importance of community engagement, stating,

Engaging with our communities are extremely important. Council does a lot of work, but people need to be consulting before we, you know, either deliver some of the work or in any event we need to hear from the people.

He also highlighted the significance of the Women's Safety Action Plan, noting that

I think the recommendations we have here is actually very, very important. The Women's Safety Action Plan. It goes a long way.

He also indicated his intention to agree to contract extensions for supported housing and a school health service, while stressing the need for open procurement in the future. He signed the minutes as Chair.